Archives: Art For Sale

Art For Sale

Two Fine Tibetan 19th Century Tsakli Paintings Buddhist Teaching Cards

These two fine Tibetan Tsakli paintings depicting on left: A Blue Deity Playing a Bone Trumpet & Right: A Fine Dancing Citipati Figure

They are all finely painted with polychrome pigments on thick hand made cotton paper.  Dating from the 19th Century and in very good condition. They are mounted in a single row with museum quality archival card in dark blue, they are ready to put into a frame of your choice.

According to the Tibetan Art Scholar David Templeman writing in my exhibition catalogue: The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art in The Todd Barlin Collection 2018,

” Buddhist teaching is not something learned from books, although they certainly play a part in reinforcing what one has already learned. The prime way of learning in Tibeto-Mongol Buddhism is through one’s master’s words. A common sentiment in those lands is that, without a fully qualified master to transmit them, the Buddha’s teachings may well never have existed. In learning the many complex rituals involving sometimes hundreds of deity forms, their names, iconography, secret syllables and so on, a student must have a teacher who almost always transmits this information orally. As an aid to memory, especially where complex deities are to be learned, small cards representing these myriad forms are shown by the master to the teacher, and the details, often found on the back of each card, are read aloud by the teacher with the intention that the student retains the details in their memory. These small cards are called tsakli or tsakali. When a deity form has been fixed in the mind and one has embarked on the path of Buddhist tantra, at a certain stage one is expected to select a tutelary deity; that is, a deity that is core to one’s heart practice. This deity then becomes the focus of one being, and it is not unusual for both monks and laypeople to spend a great deal of money commissioning a large painting of such deities. These scroll paintings are known as thangkas ”

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist Art & Asian Art

Exhibited: The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from The Todd Barlin Collection. Sydney Australia 2018. Catalogue written By David Templeman,

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case with Pipe Holder in Human Form

A Fine Antique Japanese Tobacco Case with Pipe Holder in Human Form Dating from the 19th Century.

This beautiful old Japanese Tobacco Case is carved from burlwood and keeping to a natural form.

There is a small carved wood Ojime with three holes in it and the wood Pipe Holder is carved in the form of a standing man with his arms in a circle. The pipe is made from bronze & bamboo.

Some of the most beautiful small objects made in Japan were used for Tobacco Smoking.  Their unique beauty, there is such variation from the most simple natural form burl wood containers to the elaborately carved wood examples with finely incised designs.

The Portuguese introduced tobacco in Japan in the second half of the sixteenth century. The Japanese were particularly surprised to see the Portuguese smoking pipes and spitting out smoke and would have exclaimed: “The Southern Barbarians have a fire in their belly!”

Tobacco was quickly adopted by the Japanese people by the end of the sixteenth century, the Kerisu or Smoking Pipes were used as the only way to smoke tobacco in Japan and it would remain that way for the next three centuries, until the Meiji Restoration (1868), when cigarettes arrived in Japan and became very popular.

The smoking implements needed to smoke while outside or traveling were a set consisting of a pouch to hold the tobacco called TONKOTSU  and the Pipe or Kerisu & its holder.  Tobacco pouches were usually beautifully decorated and with delicate metal clasps to close the pouch, they also had a Netsuke on the end of a small chain or string to tuck into the traditional sash called (Obi). Japanese robes did not have pockets & that is why their tobacco smoking sets were tucked into their sash.

In the Edo period in Japan (1603-1868) and before the development of cigarettes in Japan was the heyday of Kiseru Pipes and tobacco smoking paraphernalia.  In the Edo period, there was in the high society a ” Tobacco Ceremony” or ” The Way of Tobacco” (tabako-dō 烟草道), similar to the Japanese “Tea Ceremony”  where rules of politeness and decorum were fixed and there were procedures or good manners to give and receive the Kiseru pipes when smoking with the company.

Provenance: Old Australian Collection. The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Art & Buddhist Art

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us 

 

 

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case with Pipe Holder 19th Century

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case with Pipe Holder 19th Century

This beautiful old Japanese Tobacco Case is carved from wood with lacquer-painted designs of incests, the front of the wood case has a grasshopper & a bee & the top of the case has a finely painted praying mantis insect. There is a small carved skull Ojime and the Pipe Holder is natural wood, the pipe is made from bronze & bamboo.

Some of the most beautiful small objects made in Japan were used for Tobacco Smoking.  Their individual unique beauty, there is such variation from the most simple natural form burl wood containers to the elaborately carved wood examples with finely incised designs.

The Portuguese introduced tobacco in Japan in the second half of the sixteenth century. The Japanese were particularly surprised to see the Portuguese smoking pipes and spitting out smoke and would have exclaimed: “The Southern Barbarians have a fire in their belly!”

Tobacco was quickly adopted by the Japanese people by the end of the sixteenth century, the Kerisu or Smoking Pipes, were used as the only way to smoke tobacco in Japan and it would remain that way for the next three centuries, until the Meiji Restoration (1868), when cigarettes arrived in Japan and became very popular.

The smoking implements needed to smoke while outside or traveling were a set consisting of a pouch to hold the tobacco called TONKOTSU  and the Pipe or Kerisu & its holder.  Tobacco pouches were usually beautifully decorated and with delicate metal clasps to close the pouch, they also had a Netsuke on the end of a small chain or string so as to tuck into the traditional sash called (Obi). Japanese robes did not have pockets & which is why their tobacco smoking sets were tucked into their sash.

In the Edo period in Japan (1603-1868) and before the development of cigarettes in Japan was the heyday of Kiseru Pipes & Tobacco smoking paraphernalia.  In the Edo period, there was in the high society a ” Tobacco Ceremony” or ” The Way of Tobacco” (tabako-dō 烟草道), similar to the Japanese “Tea Ceremony”  where rules of politeness and decorum were fixed and there were procedures or good manners to give and receive the Kiseru pipes when smoking with the company.

It became very fashionable to have a fine Kiseru Pipe and beautiful Tobacco Case and it was an essential fashion accessory for young people from rich houses.

There is even a Kiseru Festival that happens every year on the first Sunday of September in Ibaraki region.  The “Kiseru Matsuri”  Ceremony in which men carry a huge Kiseru Pipe up to three meters long associated with Shinto rituals. This festival is held every year on Mount Kaba-san, in Ishioka since 1954, after the tobacco crops in the area were “miraculously” saved from heavy hail. A massive 3.5-meter Kiseru made of bamboo and tin by the peasants was then given as an offering at the local Shinto shrine. Ten years later, in 1964, a magnificent Kiseru (see picture below) was crafted by the famous Murata factory which wanted to offer this symbolic Kiseru to the local deity before stopping the production of its famous Kiseru.

Dating from the 19th Century.

Provenance: Old Australian Collection. The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Art & Buddhist Art

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

 

 

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case with Pipe Holder 19th Century

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case with Pipe Holder 19th Century

This beautiful old Japanese Tobacco Case is carved from wood with a finely carved Oni face in high relief & metal inset eyes.  Oni is a kind of ogre or troll in Japanese folklore. They are typically portrayed as hulking figures with one or more horns growing out of their heads. They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature, and theatre and appear as stock villains in the well-known fairytales of Momotaro (Peach Boy), Issun-bōshi, and Kobutori Jīsan. They may occasionally be depicted with a third eye on their forehead as does this carving.

The beautiful carved & decorated pipe holder is made from a deer antler and there is fine bone netsuke in the form of a face between the tobacco case on the pipe holder.

Some of the most beautiful small objects made in Japan were used for Tobacco Smoking.  Their individual unique beauty, there is such variation from the most simple natural form burl wood containers to the elaborately carved wood examples with finely incised designs.

The Portuguese introduced tobacco in Japan in the second half of the sixteenth century. The Japanese were particularly surprised to see the Portuguese smoking pipes and spitting out smoke and would have exclaimed: “The Southern Barbarians have a fire in their belly!”

Tobacco was quickly adopted by the Japanese people by the end of the sixteenth century, the Kerisu or Smoking Pipes were used as the only way to smoke tobacco in Japan and it would remain that way for the next three centuries, until the Meiji Restoration (1868), when cigarettes arrived in Japan and became very popular.

The smoking implements needed to smoke while outside or travelling were a set consisting of a pouch to hold the tobacco called TONKOTSU  and the Pipe or Kerisu & its holder.  Tobacco pouches were usually beautifully decorated and with delicate metal clasps to close the pouch, they also had a Netsuke on the end of a small chain or string so as to tuck into the traditional sash called (Obi). Japanese robes did not have pockets & which is why their tobacco smoking sets were tucked into their sash.

The Edo period (1603-1868) that precedes the development of cigarettes in Japan was the heyday of Kiseru Pipes & Tobacco smoking paraphernalia.  In the Edo period, there was in the high society a ” Tobacco Ceremony” or ” The Way of Tobacco” (tabako-dō 烟草道), similar to the Japanese “Tea Ceremony”  where rules of politeness and decorum were fixed and there were procedures or good manners to give and receive the Kiseru pipes when smoking with the company.  It became very fashionable to have a silver Kiseru and beautiful Tobacco Case and it was an essential fashion accessory for young people from rich houses.

There is even a Kiseru Festival that happens every year on the first Sunday of September in the Ibaraki region.  The “Kiseru Matsuri”  Ceremony in which men carry a huge Kiseru Pipe up to three meters long associated with Shinto rituals. This festival is held every year on Mount Kaba-san, in Ishioka since 1954, after the tobacco crops in the area were “miraculously” saved from heavy hail. A massive 3.5-meter Kiseru made of bamboo and tin by the peasants was then given as an offering at the local Shinto shrine. Ten years later, in 1964, a magnificent Kiseru (see picture below) was crafted by the famous Murata factory who wanted to offer this symbolic Kiseru to the local deity before stopping the production of its famous Kiseru.

Smoking tobacco also became part of the tea ceremony entertainment where people smoked together for relaxation.

Dating from the 19th Century.

Provenance: Old Australian Collection. The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Art & Buddhist Art

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case & Pipe Holder 19th C with the Gods Daikoku and Ebisu

A Fine Old Japanese Tobacco Case & Pipe Holder with the Japanese Gods Daikoku and Ebisu from the 19th Century 

This beautiful old Japanese Tobacco Case and Pipe in the form of the two lucky gods Daikoku and Ebisu, both belong to the Seven Gods of Fortune, mythological figures from the old Japanese religion of Shintoism.

The wood tobacco case is carved two pieces of wood; the head and the lid, the faces on both sides are the two lucky gods Daikoku and Ebisu, the face with a peaked hat is Daikoku and the other face is Ebisu. The wood has been beautifully painted with red lacquer to great effect, the wear from use leaves part of the wood exposed from the lacquer creating highlights.

There is a glass Ojime on the cord leading to a finely carved wood pipe case with red lacquer finish. The old pipe is made from brass & bamboo.

Smoking tobacco also became part of the tea ceremony entertainment where people smoked together for relaxation.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Art & Buddhist Art

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

A Pair of Fine Old New Guinea Sacred Flute Stoppers Middle Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Pair of Fine Old Sacred Flute Stopper Ornaments from the Middle Sepik River in the East Sepik Province  of Papua New Guinea

This pair of old Flute Stoppers are finely carved & painted in the form of anthropomorphic long-beaked Birdmen Ancestor Figures.

Birds in New Guinea art can be important clan totems and also anthropomorphic spirit beings that are half-man; primordial bird-men and bird-women, who originally created the sacred musical instruments, consisting of bamboo flutes and slit gongs that were kept within the ceremonial houses and played a central role in the ritual life of their communities.

For many New Guinea peoples, flutes are among the most sacred and important of all musical instruments. Sacred flutes were made from hollow cylinders of bamboo and played, like a Western flute, by blowing through a hole in the side of the instrument near the upper end. The tops of these flutes were frequently decorated with ornamental flute stoppers like these two examples.  Some of the finest artworks made in the Sepik River area were the sacred Flute Stoppers.

These sacred flutes were used in pairs and were kept hidden in the Men’s Ceremonial House or haus tambaran.  The sound of the flutes is the voice of specific honored ancestors and they bear their personal names & are given great respect.  Sacred Flutes were only seen by initiated men and played during important ceremonies.

Provenance: The Mrs. Elizabeth Pryce Collection Sydney;  Pryce was one of the finest Australian Oceanic Art Collectors and most of her collection was sold at Sotheby’s Paris on October 10th 2018.

The Todd Barlin Collection New Guinea Oceanic Art

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

A Fine Old Japanese Mask of Fudō Myōō for Noh Theatre Performances

A Fine Old Japanese Fudō Myōō  Mask for Noh Theatre Performances of Chobuku Soga

Fudo Myo-o is a Japanese Buddhist Deity (also known as Acala) the God of Fire.

Fudu Myo-o translates to “the immovable or unshakable one.” He is the greatest of the five Myo-o (five wisdom kings).

Fudō Myōō is the most widely represented of the Buddhist deities known as Myōō, or Kings of Brightness. A fierce protector of Buddhist Law, he is a direct emanation of the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai, the principal Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism.

The Fudō Myōō may look enraged, but his purpose is to transform anger into salvation. In Japanese culture, if a Fudo Myoo mask is hung in a home, the house will not move in the event of an earthquake.

I am uncertain about the exact age of this mask but I think it is likely from the late 19th – early 20th Century. The mask comes on a high-quality stand that makes the mask appear to be floating in the air, it can be used on a table or shelf.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Japanese & Asian Art

See more Fine Japanese Art in Japanese Art Gallery

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

A Finely Carved New Guinea Eagle Totem Sepik River area Papua New Guinea

A Finely Carved New Guinea Eagle Totem Sepik River area Papua New Guinea

This beautiful carved & painted wood figure of an Eagle is from the Sepik River area of New Guinea.

I am not sure of the area of the Sepik it was made but it has a Waskuk feel to it partially because of the ochre painting.

The Kwoma People live in the Waskuk Hills area on the upper Sepik River area.  I am not sure if this bird figure is actually a used ceremonial carving or just a decorative artwork. I bought this bird because it is good art. The muscular-looking bird has a feel that it could have been a medieval gargoyle-type figure.  I have really enjoyed looking at this sculpture each day.

Birds and anthropomorphic birdmen are part of Sepik River art, they can be important clan totems and also anthropomorphic spirit beings that are half-man. Primordial bird-men and bird-women, originally created the sacred musical instruments, consisting of bamboo flutes and slit gongs that were kept within the ceremonial houses and played a central role in the ritual life of their communities.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Neckrest Middle Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Dog Shaped Neckrest or Headrest from the Middle Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

This finely carved Dog shaped Neckrest is from the Iatmul or Sawos People who live in the Middle Sepik River area in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.

Some Neckrests, used by elders, served as marks of secular and religious authority, they are often adorned with images of spirits, ancestors, or other supernatural beings, and some also had magical properties.

The headrest is imbued with an especially significant spirituality because of its association with the mystical aura of sleep. Sleep was recognized as the most intimate relationship with the spirit realm, therefore the decoration on headrests was especially intertwined with their spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, the human head is associated with concepts of power, therefore anything that was created to support this power was subsequently revered.

The artist who carved this Neckrest was very skilled, the standing dog looks as if it’s in motion walking.  It has an old rope where it was hung on the wall when not in use. Dating from the 1940s.  This Dog Neckrest is one of my favorite  New Guinea sculptures.

For Western people, the idea of this kind of wood pillow or neckrest looks extremely uncomfortable but almost every culture in the world made and used wood neckrests so they must have been ok sleeping.  In Papua New Guinea some tribes had a large hairdo that they didn’t want to flatten while sleeping hence the wood neckrest kept their hair in good shape.

Dogs in New Guinea arrived with people that navigated their way through populating the Pacific Islands. The New Guinea dogs look much like the Australia Dingo.  Dogs have great importance for the people on the Island of New Guinea, dogs are essential for hunting wild boar & cassowary (a large flightless bird like an emu). When men go out to hunt they always take their dogs with them to help find and corner these animals.

Dogs also have a very important place in the mythology & ceremonial life of Melanesians. Dogs can also be a clan totem.

The other aspect of Dogs in New Guinea is that their canine teeth the sharp ones at the front are an important type of traditional wealth after the dogs die their teeth are saved and pierced at the top of the tooth and made into necklaces and other beautiful ornaments. The dogs were so important as traditional wealth the Germans before WW1 made them out of porcelain in Germany and then used as money to pay the local people to work on copra plantations.

Provenance:  The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea and Sepik River Art

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A superb Coco de Mer Coconut box from the Seychelles Islands

See more Fine Tribal Folk Art in Tribal and Folk Art Gallery

A superb Coco de Mer Coconut box from the Seychelles Islands

Coco de Mer is a rare species of palm tree native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and is the subject of various legends and lore. Coco de Mer is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse. Before the Seychelles were discovered and settled, nuts of this species were sometimes carried by the ocean currents to distant shores, such as those of the Maldives, where the tree was unknown. These floating nuts did not germinate. The exceptional size and suggestive form of the nut, the circumstances of its discovery, and some unusual qualities of the trees have given rise to several legends.

The nut of the Coco de Mer is very large (the largest seed in the plant kingdom) and is oddly shaped, being the shape and size of a woman’s disembodied buttocks on one side, and a woman’s belly and thighs on the other side. Not surprisingly, this nut was viewed by people in other parts of the world as a rare and fascinating object with mythological and even magical properties. The nature and origin of this extraordinary nut were mysterious, and the propagation of the tree was not understood.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea & unusual art and Oceanic art

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.